Coming Home
by Evelyn CMB
Summary: Nine years after Skeletor sends He-Man to the Crossroads of the Universe, Adam returns home to find life has moved on without him-friends have died, a new heir had to be found, and his once-best friend seems to despise him. Based on "Quest for He-Man," AU.
1. Prologue

_A/N: Hi everyone! Life sort of imploded on me shortly after I posted my last story, and I never got to go write that novel that was floating around in my mind. But the writing bug isn't totally dead, and I need a bit of distraction right now. So I'm posting something I've had around for quite a while. Be forewarned: it's not done, and my life is not conducive to writing right now, so it's going to be slow posting, in really short bursts. But you know I'll eventually finish it. Oh, and this has nothing to do with my other stories, as you'll see. And so we begin._

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><p><em><span>Teela<span>_

It was, by far, the worst time of my life. Ever.

He-Man had been sent to another world by Skeletor. The Sorceress didn't know where, and that stupid Cosmic Enforcer, Zodac, refused to help. But while I, along with all of Eternia, was reeling from that news, we were hit with another loss. Apparently, Adam had gone after him, and he was lost as well. The Sorceress didn't explain how Adam had managed to follow He-Man, or if rather perhaps he simply hoped to find him—she was really vague about what was going on, except to say that if we found one, we'd find both.

She spent days doing nothing else but searching. I know, because I waited in Castle Grayskull for the first few days, refusing to leave except when Skeletor threatened the palace. I kept hoping against hope that she would find them—or at least Adam. Because I needed him back. I never did tell her why. I never told anyone what happened, or why I was so desperate for him to return. I always did wonder if she knew, though. She always looked so sad when she looked at me.

Eventually I had to come to the realization that neither one of them were ever coming back. And that understanding had to come sooner rather than later. For four desperate weeks I prayed, and cried, and hoped, and raged against the Ancients for putting me through this, for letting both Adam and He-Man disappear—but especially Adam. At the end of those four weeks, I accepted it as fact, that they were never coming back. And with that belief, I made an irrevocable decision that would shape my life.


	2. Chapter 1: Ranger

_Thanks for warm welcome back! Hope this story doesn't disappoint. Oh yeah...I don't own MOTU. Just sayin'...you know, in case you thought I might. _

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><p><em><span>Ranger<span>_

I guess it was a good place to be, Draedus. I just wish that I hadn't been there for so long. If you've never suffered memory loss, I'm not sure I can describe it to you…but I'll try. It's like when someone asks you a question, and you have the answer, but sometime between when you think of the answer and when you open your mouth, the answer disappears and your mind goes blank. I knew my memories were there. I knew I had a home, and I thought I might even have people who loved me…somewhere out there, somewhere other than Draedus. But trying to remember them was like looking at a mountain in a dense fog—you know it's there, but you can't see it.

Like I said, I was on Draedus a long time. After we defeated the evil rabbit-like humanoid Plundor-no, I'm not kidding, it really was furry with rabbit ears and big teeth and everything-Gleedal-this one a bird-like humanoid, on the side of good-offered me a position as head of her security for the kingdom. It seemed to fit, somehow, and I didn't have anywhere else to go, so I took it. I had a small home, plenty of friends, and I became good friends with Gleedal's son, Wheedal—sort of a stand-in father, since his own had died. In fact, Wheedal's the one who gave me my name, Ranger. Gleedal had called me "Stranger," "Muscle Man," and even "Hero." Wheedal liked Stranger, but couldn't pronounce it. So Ranger I became.

Yet I didn't really fit in on Draedus. Everything that moved was covered in fur or fluff. I was the only furless, featherless creature on the planet.

Time passed slowly at first. Gleedal insisted I stay in her palace, but at first I often went out on long trips, searching for something familiar. Funny thing was, it was the process of getting ready for a trip and traveling for days on end that felt familiar. The land remained foreign to me. It seemed that the more I focused on trying to figure out where I came from and who I was, the more unsettled I became. I began traveling less, and eventually, I stopped trying to remember altogether. Truth be told, I don't know how long it was before I stopped trying. It wasn't a conscious decision. It just sort of happened.

But on this particular day, something happened that changed that.

I was out doing a normal patrol when I came upon an area that seemed vaguely familiar. I got really excited until I realized it was where Gleedal and I had first met—which was as far back as I could remember. My life before meeting her was an absolute blank. Of course, this area had changed a lot since that time. Back then it was dead and barren. Now it actually had some growth around, flowers and bushes. I saw the glint of metal in one of the bushes. Curious, I went over to investigate, and found a sword. I remembered then that I did have a sword in my hand when I first found myself on this world, my memory gone. I still didn't know why I had that sword in my hand that day, but I logically decided that it might be a link to my past. So I carefully pulled it out of the bush, expecting it to be rusted—but it wasn't. It was as shiny and smooth as I remembered. It also felt as if it were made for me, and somehow, I felt as if I had been reunited with an old friend. My breath quickened, then I could feel my face flush with embarrassment. I took a quick look around, feeling foolish for having such an emotional reaction to a metal object.

I took it with me as I continued my patrol—but for a reason I didn't understand, I carried it instead of sheathing it in the scabbard on my back that had remained empty all these years.


	3. Chapter 2: Ranger

_Ranger_

A couple of hours later, I sat on a tree stump, staring at the sword that was still in my hand. It seemed to be growing warm, and I kept hearing a whisper in the back of my mind, as if I was supposed to _do_ something with the sword. Frankly, it was driving me nuts, but I couldn't seem to convince myself to put down the silly thing. So I was glad of a distraction when Wheedal ran over with his mask in hand. There was a celebration that night, in honor of overthrowing Plundor exactly six years ago.

"What do you think?" Wheedal asked me excitedly, his red feathers quivering as he awaited my reply. I think his mask was supposed to be of one of the robots we destroyed, but that's not what it looked like. It was a huge gray oval with black holes for eyes. He had added fangs, I suppose to increase its creepiness factor.

I pretended to shudder. "That's even more frightening than the robots we fought!" I teased him. "What exactly is that supposed to be, some sort of gray skull?"

Wheedle's answer was lost on me. The moment I said "gray skull," the voice that had been whispering in my mind grew louder, and the sword felt as if it were humming in my hand, begging me to do something with it.

I stared at the sword, concentrating because I couldn't help it, then repeated the words that were suddenly clear in my head. "By the power of Grayskull?" It was definitely a question. But there was no question of what happened next. I felt a rush of invigorating power, and my arm rose of its own accord as the air around me suddenly seemed charged with lightning. Then I lowered the sword, as if out of habit, grabbed it with my other hand and called out, "I have the power!"

Maybe it all should have felt foolish, but it didn't. It felt familiar and wonderful, and as I lowered my arms and the glow around me faded, everything came flooding back to me. '_I am He-Man. Prince Adam._ _My home is on Eternia. I am Eternia's protector, Grayskull's defender.'_

As those thoughts tumbled through my mind, so did the realization that I had been away for years- only the Ancients knew how many years had passed on Eternia. I won't write down the curses almost came out of my mouth at that thought—the only reason I didn't speak them was because Wheedal was there—but I will say that the sudden combination of worry and joy that hit me was like a physical blow to my stomach. My knees gave out and I collapsed back down on the tree stump, dazed.

Just then, Wheedal grabbed my hand, jumping up and down. "Oh, wow, that was awesome, Ranger! Do it again!"

My tumbling emotions made it hard to speak. I grappled with them for a full moment, trying to hold back the avalanche overwhelming me. Before I found my voice to answer him, I heard footsteps. I looked up to see Gleedal approaching hesitantly, her eyes not on me but on something behind me. I turned, and there was a familiar dimensional portal. Relief hit me hard; my throat closed up, and my eyes began to burn. I had a way home.

Swallowing hard, I turned back to Wheedal. "My name's He-Man, Wheedal." I scarcely recognized my own voice, I was so choked up.

"You got your memory back!" he said excitedly, clicking his beak together rapidly.

"Yes," I said, looking back up at Gleedal. "But that means I have to go home now." Both Gleedal's and Wheedal's faces fell.

"No!" Wheedal protested, squinting his eyes up tight. I could tell he was ready to fight this, even though I had long warned him that something like this could happen someday—I have to admit, though, even I never expected it to happen so fast or so dramatically.

"That gate is the way to my home," I explained gently. "I'm needed there."

"Couldn't you wait just a bit, give us a chance to get used to the idea?" Gleedal suggested hopefully, with a meaningful glance at Wheedal.

I shook my head. "I have no idea how long this gate will last. I have to go right away. I'm sorry."

She sighed but nodded. "We understand, Rang-I mean, He-Man. But we'll miss you."

Wheedal's earlier excitement was gone completely. He sniffed, and a tear hit the ground. My heart tore in two. Of all the friends I had to leave behind, he was going to be the hardest. Thankful I was at least getting to say goodbye, I kneeled down next to him. "Take good care of your mom, okay?"

Wheedal nodded. "Will we ever see you again?" he asked in a soft, broken voice.

"I don't know, buddy," I answered honestly. I wished I could lie to him, but that's something I try to avoid—which with my secret identity as He-Man, isn't easy. "But you know what?"

"What?" He barely looked at me, but I could see his black eyes were full of tears.

"Now that I have my memory back, I will always remember you in here," -I pointed to my head- "and in here." I pointed to my heart. "Are you going to remember me?"

He sniffled again and nodded.

"Then we'll always be a part of each other, Wheedal," I told him. I knew it sounded a little corny, but it was all I had to offer. "I love you. The distance between us won't change that. Got it?"

He nodded again, and I gave him a hug. After hesitating a minute, he threw his thin arms around me. "I love you too, Ranger."

The gate made a strange noise; I knew what that meant. I gave Wheedal one last squeeze, then stood up. "The gate is about to break up. I have to go."

Gleedal nodded and put her hands on Wheedal's shoulders. I took a deep breath and stepped through the gate, to go back _home._


	4. Chapter 3: Adam

_A/N: Sorry for the delay. As for any reviews potentially upsetting me...I've had far worse than that. So I thank you all for your support, but understanding this issue is much larger than one comment made on my story, I'm going to just leave it at that. _

I stepped into Grayskull's dim interior, and the gate behind me faded almost immediately. My eyes darted around and came to rest on the Sorceress. A huge grin split my face nearly in two. "Sorceress!"

"He-Man!" She looked unsteady on her feet and fairly fell into my arms. She must have spent a great deal of energy trying to contact me and in creating that portal. I lifted her and twirled her around, I was so excited to be back on Eternia.

"You found me!" I exclaimed.

"He-Man, it is so good to see you again!" she said with that dear, familiar smile. "I feared I would never find you!"

I set her down and regarded her more somberly now, with a mixture of gratitude and anxiety. "I owe you one, Sorceress. Without you, I would have been lost to Eternia forever." I frowned as I tried to recall exactly what had happened, how I had ended up on Draedus. "Sorceress, what did happen? How did I get there?"

She tilted her head to the side inquisitively. "Skeletor captured you in a forcefield and erased your memory with a spell," she replied slowly. "He-Man, what's the last thing you remember on Eternia?"

I shook my head, feeling as if I were trying to wade through the Tar Swamp in my mind. "I-I'm not sure. It's been so long...I remember fighting some monster..." I drew out the words as the events slowly came to mind. "Something to do with Orko. A demon, named Daimar.." My frown deepened. "I...I think that's the last major thing I remember."

The Sorceress gained an endearing little furrow in her brow. It reminded me of Teela. "That was nearly a month before you disappeared. You don't remember anything after that?"

My looked around, as if I would find the answer on Grayskull's stone walls. Finally, I shook my head again, frustrated. "No."

The Sorceress laid a gentle hand on my arm. "Do not fret, He-Man. It may be a natural side effect of the spell. It will most likely resolve itself over the next few weeks."

I blew out a breath, reminding myself that missing a month compared to the twenty years I had lost before was nothing. "I know." She continued to stare at me and I shifted uncomfortably. "What?"

"Well…" She paused, and I cocked my head curiously, wondering what could have her so hesitant. "What of the world you settled on? Have we taken you from a family, He-Man?"

I shook my head quickly, touched that she was so worried about my happiness. "Not in the way you mean," I replied. "There was a boy there I had sort of taken under my wing, so to speak," –I couldn't help the twitch at the corners of my mouth at that- "but I had no family." I frowned a bit. "But what has happened here? Are my parents all right? What about Duncan and Teela? Cringer? Orko?"

She laughed lightly, clearly understanding my concerns all too well. "I will be glad to tell you about all of them, He-Man, but for now, I think you ought to revert to Prince Adam again."

I chuckled. "I almost forgot." I unsheathed my sword, but hesitated as another urgent question came to mind. "How long have I been gone, Sorceress?" I asked, lowering the sword.

She swallowed hard, but met my gaze directly, sympathy in her eyes. "Nine years, He-Man."

"Nine years?" I repeated in shock. Surely it hadn't been that long. Had I really missed almost a decade of my life? My friends, my family, were all going to be nine years older than what I remembered. As was I. "Nine years?" I said again, in a whisper this time. "By the grace of Eternia."

"He-Man," she said softly. I turned dazed eyes to her and she motioned to my sword. "You have not been Prince Adam in nine years. Since no guardian of Grayskull has ever spent this much time in their altered form, I cannot say for sure how you will feel once you relinquish the power."

"I understand," I said, though in truth my mind was still reeling with how much time had passed. Finally I shook my head slightly and raised my sword. "Let the power return!"

As the power left me, a wave of weakness passed over me. I stumbled backwards a step, trying to catch my balance, but I caught an uneven part of the floor, which caused my leg to crumple under me. The sword clattered to the ground. Strong hands grabbed hold of my shoulders and eased me down gently, and a familiar face appeared in front of my darkening vision.

"Hello, Duncan," I mumbled weakly. Then the blackness became complete.

I must have only been out a minute or so. I came to kind of slowly, their voices gradually starting to make sense.

"Remember, he had been He-Man for nine years, Duncan. His body is not used to being without the magic of Grayskull."

"Are you saying he might go through some sort of withdrawal?" Duncan asked, his horror at that thought clear to me even through my fuzzy thinking.

I opened my eyes to see the Sorceress raised her hands in a helpless gesture. "I do not think so, at least not in the way you mean. He will not crave the power. His body simply needs to adjust to not having it. While He-Man's body has been used each day, Prince Adam's body has not. The magic restored him to his original condition, including his strength, but to Adam, it may feel unusually weak."

"Thanks for clearing that up," I said faintly, my own voice unfamiliar. They looked down and I did the best imitation of a grin that I could manage. "Good to see you, Duncan. Give me a hand up?" I held up a slightly shaky hand. Duncan hesitated a second, then grasped my forearm and hauled me to my feet. My other hand went quickly to his shoulder until I had regained my balance. Then I looked him in the eye and grinned. For a moment, it was as if the last nine years had not existed.

"Ancients, but it's good to see you lad," Duncan said with heartfelt emotion, the stupid grin on his face matching my own.

"It's good to be seen," I replied, chuckling a bit. "How is everyone?" I grew more serious as I looked from him to the Sorceress and back again. They were both tense. I could still read them, as if we had just parted yesterday. "Something's wrong. What is it?"

The Sorceress delayed the inevitable for a moment, inviting us to sit and offering us something to eat. I must have lit up like a firework.

"I haven't had meat in nine years," I admitted wistfully.

"Then your system won't be used to it," the Sorceress warned.

I grinned cheekily. "Sure it will. Grayskull's power reverted me back to how I was nine years ago, isn't that what you said?"

The Sorceress' mouth dropped open a fraction, then she smirked, shaking her head slightly, and waved her hand, producing a luscious-looking platter of my favorites. I dug in with enthusiasm, closing my eyes after my first bite.

When I opened my eyes, Duncan's brow furrowed. "So does that mean it's as if the last nine years didn't happen for Adam? I noticed he doesn't look any older."

Alarm shot through me at that idea, but the Sorceress shook her head. "He's just aging well, Duncan," she teased. "Unlike you."

He growled at her, scowling darkly, as I laughed. He reached up and scratched at his mustache, and I eyed him critically. He did have a few more wrinkles around the eyes and mouth, and his skin was getting a bit leathery looking. There were even some gray hairs sneaking in here and there. But he didn't look that old.

"Oh Duncan, I'm only teasing," the Sorceress laughed at him. That only made him scowl more, and I couldn't help myself; I laughed harder.

"Ancients, but I missed you two," I said, shaking my head. My smile faded slowly. "Now what's going on?"

"Well first of all, almost everyone is fine," Duncan said briskly. He must have seen the immediate question in my eyes, because he answered it without pausing, his tone somber. "We've lost a lot of good men to Skeletor's forces over the years."

I swallowed hard. "Dead?"

Duncan nodded as he named some of the soldiers I had known. I was silent for a moment, mourning the loss of men and women who had protected our kingdom, some of them people I had grown up with. Then I looked at Duncan and knew that whatever was bugging him, he thought I was going to be even more upset over it than I was over the deaths of these good people. "There's more, isn't there?"

He nodded, not bothering to deny it. The Sorceress was watching, seemingly as serene as ever, but I could tell she was nervous as well. "The thing is, Adam…well, you're not an only child anymore."


End file.
